OL2000: How to Import a Word Mail Merge Data Source File (197657)



The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Outlook 2000
  • Microsoft Word 2000

This article was previously published under Q197657

SUMMARY

You can build Contacts for Microsoft Outlook from a file of names and addresses used in Microsoft Word as a mail merge data source file. This article describes how to accomplish this task.

MORE INFORMATION

If the Word data source file is in the form of a comma-delimited text file, it is ready for direct importing into Outlook. See the "To Import a Comma Delimited File" section in this article.

If the data source file is in the form of a Word table, you must first convert it to a comma-delimited text file and then import it.

NOTE: There must be no embedded commas in the data.

To Convert a Word Table to Comma-Delimited Text

  1. In Word, on the File menu, click Open.
  2. Select the mail merge data source file, and then click Open.
  3. On the Table menu, point to Select and click Table.
  4. On the Table menu, point to Convert and click Table to Text.
  5. Click Commas, and then click OK.
  6. On the File menu, click Save As.
  7. In the Save As Type list, select Text Only with Line Breaks, type a name for the file, and then change the file extension from .txt to .csv, for example, "text.csv" including the quotation marks.
  8. Click Save, and then close Word.

To Import A Comma-Delimited File

  1. In Outlook, on the File menu, click Import And Export.
  2. Select Import from another program or file and then click Next.
  3. Select Comma Separated Values (Windows) and then click Next.
  4. Type the path and name, or browse to the comma-delimited file saved above and then click Next.
  5. select the Contacts folder to receive the imported records and then click Next.
  6. Select Import '<file name>' into the '<folder name>' folder.
  7. In the Map Custom Fields dialog box, click the field names in the From window and drag and drop them on the appropriate target fields in the To window.
  8. Click OK and Finish.

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:5/20/2003
Keywords:kbExport kbhowto kbImport kbinfo kbmigrate kbusage KB197657